William Blake - "The Fly"...The Romance of Acquired Freedom
Using my tool (Pinterst), I put in the first sentences of each part to William Blake's, "The Fly,":
"Am not I A fly like thee?"
"For I dance and drink & sing"
"If thought is life And strength and breath"
Before I selected images or even did my search through Pinterest, the poem captured my attention as it had signified a sense of freedom or embracing and accepting the result of a situation. Blake has the art illustration of a mother and children. It seems that the mother is trying to dance with the younger child while the other is playing with a racket and ball. I think the illustration in itself first can sense romanticizing within the chaos or letting go. As much of society romanticizes motherhood, even though it comes with many struggles daily. Though we can see here that in the chaos that is raising children, she is enjoying to some sense a one on one with one of her children, because the other is preoccupied.
There is also a sense of romanticizing through the color and posing. We discussed this on Thursday's course and how we might romanticize something based on the colors or the poses of the individuals in the image. If we look at the image closer the background is using warm tones some orange and yellow, even some light blue. With the painting it seems to show the sun or some sort of late afternoon, not a sunset but one to come soon. Many find this sky in a real life setting to produce an "aesthetically pleasing" feel; a calm feeling if you will.
As for the poses, the mother is hunched over, but not too far to where it could be seen as uncomfortable, but rather guiding their child into learning. This is something I feel is important to note too as I said my first vibe from Blake's poem was the sense of freedom, which you can't obtain a feeling of freedom until you observe and are open. The child could be seen as "being open" to learning and observing the mother rather than just being oblivious or not aware before. As for the child behind her, I saw it as the child has opened up and accepted change...independence. Although it might just be a racket and ball, they are doing it on their own and without the help of their mother, a taste of freedom without parental help. This draws back also to another sense of romanticizing, but in the view of watching your own child grow. Today we might see this in capturing their first steps or first sports game on tape, a picture of their first school concert, but the idea of watching your own offspring grow and becoming their own is something many don't realize they romanticize.
The gist I'm getting at with all these aspects I've noticed or drawn to goes back to the way we romanticize life events and situations...they draw back to freedom and the love we have for it. We want that freedom, we want to be loved, we want to be able to be seen as independent while also showing what we've done with our life. The same way that some people use their own reading to showcase that feeling. Blake is an example of showing the romanization of the emotions and reactions we have through change (the good, the bad, all of it).
So how does this get us to Pinterest?
After searching the phrases from “The Fly,” my tool was able to showcase Blake’s poem through quotes, art, vintage images, insects, and birds. The quotes highlighted the art of freedom often accepting and moving on, giving oneself advice to move on and you will receive that freedom and happiness. The art had warm tones of yellow and orange, and also included blue; similar to the background and art of his poem. The vintage images captured dancing and singing, or playing noticeable features we also see in the art of “The Fly.” The insects are butterflies not just flies here, took this as a sign of romanticism in change and acceptance. Once again, we can see freedom in said change as a caterpillar will form into a butterfly. Not only that, but birds were another noticeable thing. From flying somewhere out or guiding someone to swing, birds were very noticeable here. This could draw back to how we often romanticize birds or flying objects that go up with change and freedom. A bird flying in the air can be seen as not just an animal flying in the sky, but an independent creature who can just go on their own journey.
The structure of how this is set up too also reminds me of a vision board and aspirations, much like I said that Pinterest does in a previous post when creating a user’s algorithm. Or even a wall of posters and how one might tape these upon a wall or a surface to look at and reflect. Or they might put it up to be aesthetically pleasing in their hopes and wants or desires.
I feel like with this tool too, one might see Blake’s theme more through these images than actually reading the poem. And that’s because of its form and how society likes to showcase today. I take the example of Rupi Kaur’s book of poems, Milk and Honey. Kaur’s pages have been published and popularized not only because of the feminist matters in the words, but because her poems are more minimalist and easy to form the theme to. Though these pages are often posted up with twinkly lights in the background, a beverage or snack that looks “social-media worthy” or even a sunset in the backdrop. Kaur’s pieces are similar to Blake’s as both cover stories that can relate back to freedom or acceptance of situations, but both also show the way how aesthetic and romanticizing features can take their work to a wider audience. The same way the sky and color scheme might get a reader noticed to Blake’s work is similar to how a sunset or aesthetic environment behind the page of one of Kaur’s poems on Instagram is to scrollers. They romanticize pieces of the environment to attract the reader more or the viewer. In itself can also be an example of how we romanticize texts, sharing a quote or poem is an example of how one might do that. A situation could be challenging but posting a quote to romanticize that situation and the idea of change to result in freedom, very known to happen whether we’re talking on Blake’s pieces or others’.
Before I leave this post I also want to highlight something I found beyond my tool, but an important thing to also remember as we look into our findings this semester and that is how our environment is also influenced by this. Of course after these searches my algorithm is going to adapt on Pinterest, but beyond that takes you in to think a little differently or find similarities and connections around you too. For me I was listening to music while writing. While doing so, a song by Florence and the Machine had went in the shuffle. The song was “Shake It Out.” If you’ve never listened to the song, the story is actually about Florence herself getting over a hangover. However, it’s deeper theme is becoming aware of habits and wanting to change, essentially accepting what has happened and ready to move on…starting over and acquiring a newfound freedom. Such as Blake is trying to say in his poem, “The Fly.” So maybe it was a coincidence that the song had came on while I was making this post, but I think it’s also interesting how much it related to Blake’s theme and what it relates to in terms of freedom. I think also the fact it came in a musical form, can even be romanticized, the whole song is very aesthetically beautiful and that’s why it’s also easier to understand the story better that Florence is trying to say. So look for those connections too.
